If animals will be bred for the purposes of research, an application must be submitted and approved by the ARC prior to initiating activities. If you will be breeding animals and do not already have an approved breeding protocol on file with the ARC, you must submit an Application to Establish and/or Maintain a Breeding Colony. Following initial approval, a continuation application must be submitted and approved every three years.
You do not need to complete a separate breeding colony protocol for each strain of animal or housing facility to be used. Generally, these can all be accommodated under a single protocol. However, if you plan to breed multiple species of animal, submission of a separate breeding protocol for each species is recommended. When breeding is an integral component of the research (e.g., collection of zebrafish embryos, intrauterine injections into pregnant dams), the activities may be better described in an experimental protocol. The ARC administrative staff can help you decide the best approach for your research.
Please note: the ARC requires annual reporting of animals used for, and generated by, the breeding colony. Refer to the ARC Policy Tracking and Reporting Animal Numbers for more information.